Chapter Nine: Now You See It: Now You Don't
The SGC robot probe came through the Stargate on schedule and began transmitting back through the gate. SG-1 and the witches were careful to remain out of sight. Meanwhile the transmission was detected by the orbiting Replicator Spaceship. Always alert to evidence of high technology the Replicators immediately altered course in order to land by the source of the transmission.
An hour later SG-12 came through the gate led by Major Janice Larkham. She was accompanied by Doctor 'Bobby' Sarfraz, Lieutenant Bruce Davidson and Sergeant Carlos Rees. They sent their routine messages back to the SGC which then closed the gate after bringing the robot probe back. SG-12 then started walking away from the Stargate along an ancient road leading towards the mountains. On the other side of the first hill they climbed, they were surprised to find SG-1 and four young women waiting for them.
"Colonel O'Neill?" said Major Larkham. "But we just left you back at the SGC."
"I know," said Jack, "but there's been a change of plan."
"How do we know this is really Colonel O'Neill?" asked Sergeant Rees pointing his gun at SG-1. "We've all read the reports of previous missions. This might be a robot or something."
"He's right," said Doctor Sarfraz. "This can't possibly be Colonel O'Neill. We would have seen anybody who followed us through the gate."
"It's really us Bobby," said Daniel. "There's been a time travel effect. It's complicated but we'll explain it all to you."
"I need to check with General Hammond sir," said Major Larkham to Jack. "It won't take a moment. Bruce, go back to the Gate and dial up."
"No!" said Sam and Prue together at the same time. "The timeline again," explained Sam.
"I'm afraid..." began Jack whilst at the same time wondering how to persuade the major not to contact the SGC without making her more suspicious. However he was interrupted by the sight and sound of the Replicator spaceship passing overhead.
The sound abruptly dropped in volume as if the Replicator ship was suddenly much further away. Jack found Piper Halliwell stood next to him. "What happened?" he asked as he realised that SG-12 were standing frozen in front of him.
"I froze you all," explained Piper who was now releasing the rest of SG-1 from the freeze.
"Are they alright?" asked Sam indicating the frozen SG-12.
"They're fine," said Phoebe. "Even if Piper doesn't release them it wears off after a few minutes."
"We had better get their guns," said Teal'c. "It is much safer explaining things to unarmed people."
"I'll get her radio for transmitting the SG-12 ID," said Sam going over to Major Larkham and putting her hand in the other major's pocket. This however released the major from the freeze and she still had her gun. She reacted quickly and aggressively and Sam found herself on her back with the other major's gun pointed directly into her face.
"What's going on?" demanded Major Larkham. "Who are you people and why are you pretending to be SG-1?"
The Replicator spaceship was now close to landing about a quarter of a mile away.
"We don't have time for this," said Prue waving her arm. The major's gun jumped out of her hand into the nearby long grass.
"Radio!" said Paige holding out her hand. Major Larkham's radio now appeared in Paige's hand. "I'll prime this to transmit the correct ID and put it by the gate like we planned," she said and orbed away.
"What?" said Major Larkham, not knowing where to look next.
"You're in no danger Janice," said Sam getting to her feet. "At least not from us. We really are SG-1. I'll explain it all but we've got to get out of sight right now."
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Colonel Maybourne walked into the room and over to where two of his team were standing over a third man. "OK," he said. "What've you got?"
"His name's Gunn, Charles Gunn," said NID agent Lacey, indicating the unconscious man on the table in the middle of the room. Lacey was holding Gunn's wallet which he now closed up and put back into Gunn's pocket.
"He was definitely staking out the place," said Lacey. "Phil took him down with his dart gun," he continued, indicating his colleague who was holding a cellphone to his ear. "We're waiting for details on this guy to come through. We can question him when he wakes up, unless you want us to give him a wake up shot now?"
"I can tell you all you need to know about Charles Gunn," said Lilah Morgan who had followed Maybourne into the room.
"He's one of yours?" asked Maybourne.
"Oh no," said Lilah. "But he's not one of theirs either. He works for a uh man called Angel in LA."
"So what's he doing here?" asked Maybourne.
"Look at this," said Lacey who now held out the Zat gun carried by Gunn. This was the second Zat gun taken from the Sunnydale Jaffa.
"That's a Jaffa weapon," said Maybourne. "So if he's not theirs and he not yours how come he's involved in all this? Who's this guy Angel?"
"That would be me," said Angel who abruptly appeared from the shadows darkening the far side of the large room.
"How the hell?" said Lacey who had searched the room shortly before and knew there was no way into the room from that direction.
"Hello Angel," said Lilah smiling. "Knew I could rely on you to mess things up, like you usually do."
Angel was followed out of the shadows by Tara. After the gang had completed the takeover of the Stargate Angel had received a call from Gunn saying he was being watched. The call had been abruptly cut off. At Angel's request Tara had then orbed him to the nearest point to Gunn's location possible without being seen and he had heard most of the conversation taking place between Maybourne and his team.
Tara went straight over to Gunn and placed her hand on his forehead. Before her healing had a chance to start Lacey grabbed her hand and pulled it away. "Hey," he exclaimed. "Stay...Ow!"
On having her hand grabbed by Lacey Tara had responded by muttering a hot spell and Lacey rapidly withdrew his hand as if it had been scalded. He was now shaking it in pain. He didn't interfere as Tara once again placed her hand on Gunn's forehead and it began to glow. Gunn started to wake up.
"Before things start getting unpleasant how about you explaining who these people are and what's going on," said Maybourne to Lilah. Lacey's colleague Phil had now put his cellphone away and was holding a gun on the newcomers.
"Yes, do explain," said Angel sweetly looking directly at Lilah. "Better do it quickly before Willow finds out one of your goons laid his hands on Tara. And you know how she feels about guns and who they're pointed at."
As he looked at Lilah, Maybourne could see from her face that Angel's comment had hit home. Whoever Willow was she obviously put the fear of death into Lilah. The usually unflappable lawyer had now turned ashen white as all of the blood drained from her face. This was the same Lilah who seemed to take Witches, Jaffa, Goa'uld and everything like that in her stride.
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At last Giles was being given some information. Unfortunately he was pretty well convinced that it was not strictly true, in fact was complete rubbish. Mr oh-so-jovial Togunus seemed to be spinning a yarn.
Giles was no longer the only kidnap victim in the house. He had been joined by two others snatched from Earth: Abebe Lua, a doctor and part-time dabbler in the occult from the Congo and Eric Chan, the owner of a Chinese medicine store in Singapore. What Giles had quickly discovered was that neither man had any real talent in magic and only the most rudimentary idea of how magic worked.
It seemed that Togunus and his colleagues had been spending the time since snatching Giles in trying to find other magic users on Earth. Although it seemed that they had some way of detecting magic users on Earth, finding the opportunity to snatch them without anybody else noticing was a time consuming business. It also seemed possible to Giles that they had been specifically searching for male magic users.
It had quickly become clear that neither of the other Earthmen had any concerns about being kidnapped. Something had been done to them to make them co-operative with their kidnappers, something that had not had any affect on Giles.
It was doubtless because Togunus assumed that all three men were suitably under control that the story he told was so threadbare and lacking in credibility. Lacking in credibility that is for anybody with other sources of information.
According to Togunus his world, the world of Kallistien, was under the control of a group of wicked witches. They oppressed the people, especially the men and sacrificed children to their wicked rites. They had seized control from the rightful rulers who had been overthrown several centuries before.
Togunus and his associates were preparing to take action to restore the so called rightful rulers to power and depose the wicked witches. Giles presumed that the expressions 'rightful rulers' and 'Togunus and his associates' were interchangeable. Giles and the other magic users from Earth were there to help in this rightful task when they would be expected to use the legendary powers of the Tau'ri to overthrow the witches.
Giles knew that the term Tau'ri meant nothing to Chan or Lua but neither of them queried what Togunus was saying, in fact neither of them asked any questions at all. Giles followed their lead and also said nothing. In the Kallistien myths that Giles had read the Tau'ri were the legendary inhabitants of an idealised human home world and had all sorts of amazing magical powers.
It seemed likely that Togunus and his crew had recently taken over the country house as their HQ and had no idea that the library found by Giles even existed. Even had they known about it they probably wouldn't have been concerned given that they seemed to assume that Giles was as much under control as the others.
Giles had obtained a very different picture of Kallistien society from his reading in the library. For one thing the original 'rightful rulers' were not the sort of characters who anybody would want back. They had regarded themselves as gods and treated the Kallistien people as little better than slaves to be exploited.
The witches were by all accounts sometimes arrogant and difficult but they didn't actually rule the world. That was in the hands of the democratic government. The witches controlled the use of and training in the practice of magic.
Either because of prejudice on their part or for other reasons most of the Kallistien magic users, that is to say the witches, were women. Otherwise Kallistien society was controlled by the usual mix of politicians, most of them being middle aged men.
Having found out something of the real situation from his reading Giles had then concentrated on trying to find some way of returning home to Earth. His intentions in this respect were confirmed by the briefing from Togunus. Giles certainly didn't want to get involved in local politics. The problem was there were no magic books in the library.
What didn't add up to Giles was that the evidence of magic use, the control of the others and the use of a magic portal, didn't match up with the ignorance displayed by Togunus as to things magical. Neither he nor his colleagues seemed to have any idea that the other kidnap victims would not be able to produce any legendary magical powers. In Giles's opinion lighting a candle would probably stretch them. As the meeting drew to a close he finally decided to risk a question.
"It must take great power and skill to operate the portal that brought us all here," he asked. "You must have great magical skill yourself."
"Oh no," replied Togunus. "I don't get involved in that side of things at all. Lord Shumi does all that."
"And when do we get to meet Lord Shumi?" asked Giles.
"Right now," said a deep voice from behind Giles.
Giles turned and saw a tall middle aged man with black greying hair. He would have looked much like the other Kallistians Giles had already met except that his eyes were lit up with some sort of internal power.
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One moment Buffy was standing in the circle holding the captured witch by the arm, the next she was in some sort of a busy control room with uniformed soldiers and technicians bustling about the place.
Buffy and the witch had arrived in a chalk circle in the corner of the large room. Buffy was surprised because she had expected to arrive back at the Kallistien base along with the Kallistien soldiers and Faith. The witch, who was responsible for the diversion, was not at all surprised because she had arranged for it to happen by communicating with her witch colleagues in the service of the Goa'uld.
Like the Kallistien teleportations the actual teleportation was carried out by a group of witches. There were seven witches sat around the circle and Buffy's companion now greeted them.
"I got one," said the witch. "I got a prisoner. I don't know who she is but she was with the Kallistien soldiers."
The other witches got to their feet. The eldest, presumably the leader, turned to one of two nearby Jaffa. "Take her down to the detention area. I expect the commander will want to interview her later."
Buffy suppressed her first impulse to take on the Jaffa and the witches. Clearly nobody there thought she was any sort of a threat. She decided to wait until she was in a place with fewer opponents before making her move.
Without saying a word the large, brown skinned Jaffa took Buffy's right arm and started marching her out of the room. As she left she was walked pass a large vertical ring set upright at the top of a ramp. A group of sitting and standing men, including Jaffa were looking at the ring as if expecting something to happen to it.
As she left the room she heard the voice of one of the technicians: "I can't make contact. There's something wrong at the other end."
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"So how come you know all about Stargates?" asked Willow suspiciously, directing her question to Colonel Maybourne.
Maybourne together with Lilah Morgan and the NID agents were in the basement location of the captured Stargate. Maybourne had ordered his man to put down his gun and Angel had agreed to take Maybourne and the others to meet Willow and the rest of his group provided they brought no weapons with them.
"Because we've been aware of what's been going on for some time," said Maybourne who was looking around the Stargate which, as far as he could see was identical to the Stargate at SGC. "We were just getting ready to move in. This is now a matter of National Security. Thank you for what you've done but we'll take over now."
As he spoke Maybourne took out his cellphone and began punching numbers only to have it snatched away from him by Angel. "Hey!" objected Maybourne. Maybourne's two agents started forward only to find themselves face to face with Gunn and Xander. Maybourne waved them to back off.
"You really don't want to fight with us," said Angel.
"Really?" said Maybourne. "And do you want a fight with the US Government?" he asked with a smile.
"Why does everybody in this business have Government ID's?" asked Kennedy from her perch sitting on the Stargate ramp. "The guys who were here claimed to be Government agents. How do we know you're genuine?"
"And even if you are what makes all this stuff yours?" asked Gwen. This stuff must be worth a fortune she was thinking. We should be able to negotiate some sort of finder's fee when Willow's finished with it.
"And why are you working with Wolfram and Hart?" asked Gunn. "That's a big strike against you straight away."
"Look," said Lilah, "We're all on the same side here. None of us want the Goa'uld back. It was tough enough getting ridding of them the last time."
"The last time?" asked Willow. "Are you saying Wolfram and Hart opposed the Goa'uld when they were here centuries ago?"
Centuries ago thought Maybourne. What have we got here? These people know a lot more about Wolfram and Hart than I do. They seem to know about the Goa'uld as well.
"Of course we opposed the Goa'uld," replied Lilah. "Do you think we wanted those snakes calling the shots?"
"Look I can prove who I am," said Maybourne. "I can have technicians here in two hours and the Stargate up and running in three. This Stargate is now under the control of the US Government."
Willow walked over to Maybourne and looked up into his face. "Sit down over there with your friends and with Lilah and leave us alone while we check you out," she said coldly. "If you create a fuss I'll put you to sleep along with those guys." She indicated a row of sleeping captives, the Jaffa and the other people who had been operating the Stargate.
"We don't trust you...yet. Maybe we never will," Willow continued. "The fact that you're with Lilah is a big mark against you but we don't have time to waste. We've got friends on the other side of that Gate and we're going to get them back. When we've done that the Gate is all yours."
"Provided your ID's check out," said Kennedy.
Maybourne thought about arguing, then he thought about fighting. After all Angel only had two other guys with him plus a lot of young women. But there was something intimidating about Willow and Angel, particularly Willow. Certainly Lilah Morgan thought so as she said no more and went to sit down. In the end Maybourne said nothing either and signalled his men over to sit down in the place indicated.
As he sat down Maybourne tried to rationalise his response. After all these people had taken out a group of Jaffa and the Jaffa were certainly no pushovers.
"What's the plan sir?" asked Lacey quietly. "Schwarz and his boys will come looking for us soon."
"For the moment we wait..." began Maybourne but abruptly something shifted. Something was different.
"What the hell!" said Lacey, standing up. Maybourne, Lilah and the other agent also stood up and looked around.
The four of them hadn't gone anywhere but Willow, Angel and their people had. In between what had seemed to be no more than the interval between one heartbeat and the next the whole group had vanished leaving Maybourne, Lilah and the two agents. The Jaffa and some of their associates were still asleep on the ground. Some of the technicians had also disappeared.
"Where did they go?" demanded Maybourne of Lilah. "How did they do that?"
"The Stargate's gone as well!" said Lacey.
All three NID men looked at Lilah.
"Witchcraft," said Lilah. "Didn't I mention it? Willow's a witch. In fact she's one of the most powerful witches you're ever likely to meet. If you're very lucky you'll never meet her again. With those technicians and the Stargate she doesn't need your help."
"Witchcraft," said Lacey. "Oh yeah, what's the real explanation?"
"Shut up!" ordered Maybourne. "Get me a phone. Contact Schwarz. We need to secure these Jaffa and the other people before they wake up."
As Lacey and the other agent walked away Maybourne looked at Lilah.
"We need to talk," he said to her. Witches! This was the second time he had been a witness to witchcraft and both times he had been completely wrong-footed. Now how do I submit a report about all this without mentioning magic spells and witchcraft he wondered?